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Lowell High costs rise, fall with tide

WHEN YOU'RE considering spending more than $300 million on a new school, what's a few tens of millions here and there?

The future Lowell High School, regardless of site, will cost at least $336 million, although the city will be responsible for $140 million to $150 million of that.

But there are so many unknown costs, particularly if the school is built at Cawley Stadium as the City Council voted, that some elected officials have clearly taken to viewing those numbers as fluid.

The latest, and largest, amateur estimate for Cawley is $400 million, courtesy of School Committee member Bob Hoey, who said that the astronomical price was one of the reasons he voted at the special meeting on Wednesday that the school should be built downtown.

Downtown option three, the most popular of the proposals at the current site, is actually more expensive overall than Cawley, coming in around $350 million in professional estimates. But the city's share would be smaller than the Cawley school.

Mayor Edward Kennedy has also talked in the past about additional expenses for the Cawley school in the realm of $25 million or more above the estimates.

The truth is, nobody is 100 percent sure how much any proposal will cost at this point. The Cawley site has born the brunt of the speculation because there will almost certainly be extra expenses to improve infrastructure.

MassDOT, which owns Route 38, has said it will not reimburse the city for expanding the road.

There's much speculation about what prompted Belanger's sudden departure from the respected residential addiction treatment center for woman.

Gary Campbell, chief executive officer of Gilbert G. Campbell Real Estate of Lowell, left, was sworn in as the new president of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts last week at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. Gov. Charlie Baker, second from left, administered the oath of office. Gary s father Gil Campbell, third from left, was also able to attend. The senior Campbell started the company more than 60 years ago and founded the Greater Lowell Home Builders in 1954. Also pictured is Steve Coravos, right.

Several insiders attributed it mostly to Belanger's transition from being in charge of an organization to playing second fiddle to Megan's House founder Tim Grover.

Insiders also said several board members were less than impressed with Belanger's performance at board meetings.

One person familiar with the situation at Megan's House wished Belanger had been more effectively vetted before she was hired for the $87,000-a-year post.

"It wasn't a good fit," the person said.

Belanger's last day was Friday.

Belanger described her tenure at the CVB as "incredible" and said she was responsible for more grants to Megan's House than anyone previously.

She added she's leaving for "personal reasons."

"It's too bad some board members are now waffling now that I am leaving," Belanger said. "This isn't a news story, it's The Column being The Column."

DEPENDING ON who you talk to, the relationship between the city and UMass Lowell is either symbiotic or cannibalistic.

Councilor Rita Mercier, for one, has certainly not forgotten about Perkins Place, which the university bought, then moved tenants out.

So when the Department of Planning and Development was asked to theorize possible uses for a vacant downtown high school building, the suggestion that UMass Lowell might buy it prompted angry responses.

The city owns it, so no taxes would be lost.

During the event, state Sen. Eileen Donoghue was recognized for her legislative efforts by Gary Campbell.
COURTESY PHOTOS

But the prospect of a developer and turning the site into luxury apartments or some kind of mixed-use economic engine has some city councilors salivating.

Sensing public opinion shifting, UMass Lowell officials made it clear: They have no interest in buying the high school building.

AFTER WEEKS of politicos saying that whoever wins Arlington would take the 4th Middlesex Senate Democratic primary, Lexington fired the shot heard 'round the district.

The numbers out of Lexington were staggering: Winner Cindy Friedman received 1,875 votes, Rep. Sean Garballey, 288, and Mary Ann Stewart, 142. Friedman earned more than 80 percent of the vote in Lexington... where Stewart lives.

Friedman won, with 7,077 votes to 6,299 for Garballey.

Garballey, who represents Arlington and a part of Medford in the House, easily won his base -- 4,253 votes versus 3,245 for Friedman.

REPRESENTATIVES OF the New England Regional Council of Carpenters (NERCC), apparently happy about Genesis HealthCare coming to Dracut, opposed the multi-million dollar project before Special Town Meeting passed the rezoning of a portion of 55 Loon Hill.

NERCC business representative/organizer Ricardo Xavier posted outside Dracut High School and passed out fliers that questioned whether the project is a good deal for Dracut and which NERCC's concerns.

Xavier added that a big concern is workers being paid under the table, both undocumented and U.S. citizens. He said Town Manager Jim Duggan approached him at the Special Town Meeting.

"He was very disrespectful," Xavier said. "He looks at me and says, 'If this doesn't go through I'm going to hold you personally responsible for this.'"

Ask for a response, Duggan wavered, then decided on no comment.

In a general note, Duggan said there's no evidence Genesis will pay workers under the table, adding that it's a "highly-respected company."

"What was told to me is that the reason why they were doing this was because they didn't get a return phone call from Genesis," the town manager said of the NERCC. "And they were advocating for people to vote no on the project."

TEWKSBURY BUSINESS owner Dawn Callahan was honored with the Unsung Heroines Award for doing extraordinary work in her community. Callahan is a member of the Lions Club, the Tewksbury/Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and co-owns of TJ Callahan's Pub, where many local fundraising events are held.

Sen. Barbara L'Italien nominated Callahan.

Callahan was recognized last month at the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women's 14th Annual Unsung Heroines of Massachusetts Celebration in Boston. Initially she did not want to be recognized. Callahan said she volunteers to help, not to get a pat on the back. A friend later convinced her to attend the ceremony.

"The ceremony was great. There was over 100 people there. The State House is beautiful I thought it was really neat to see all the different women and what they were recognized for," Callahan said.

HERE'S A new entry to the running list of Bad Ideas: a new Facebook group called "Townsend, Ma -- Uncensored, For Real."

A quick and incomplete list of posts seen on the numerous already existing Townsend groups:

* A resident referring to the recall campaign as a group of "chroneys" (sic) who should end up in the "psyhotic ward" (sic)

* A recall supporter referring to a town official as a "piece of (expletive)"

* Speculation about a town employee's background, including unsubstantiated allegations that the employee has a criminal history.

How much more "uncensored" could the discussion get?

And as one resident pointed out: "how many (groups) does this town of less than 10k (residents) need"?

THE BOSTON Celtics are hot to land the Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward, who visits with the team on Sunday. Could the proposed state millionaire's tax be a deciding factor?

Some players in the past have decided to sign with teams in Florida and Texas to avoid state income taxes.

So a Utah politician tweeted a link to an article about the tax, also known as the fair share amendment: "@gordonhayward: something to consider over next few days... #takenote."

That pol would be Tanner Ainge, running for the seat in Congress vacated by Jason Chaffetz.

Tanner's dad? Celtics team president Danny Ainge.

The next Ainge family gathering could get awkward.

The fair-share amendment will be on the November 2018 ballot.

A MONDAY Board of Selectmen special meeting in Chelmsford left a former selectman feeling snubbed.

Tom Moran, a Precinct 8 Town Meeting representative, went to the 4 p.m. meeting to find out whether the equipment and vehicles for the new Stormwater Management Enterprise Fund were included in the bond sale selectmen were approving. He was unhappy to find out that they were, despite a stay on the new stormwater regulations granted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Moran said selectmen treated him poorly when he wanted to speak and get a copy of the bond documents the board had. He said the stormwater items weren't specifically listed on the agenda, while the capital plan and modular classrooms were.

"I was on the Board of Selectmen for six years. We were never as rude as those people were at the meeting," Moran said.

Moran, who uses hearing aids, said he couldn't hear much of what the board said because they spoke softly.

Chairwoman Pat Wojtas said she considered stormwater capital rolled in with the fiscal 2018 capital plan. Wojtas said she explained to Moran that public input was not on the special meeting agenda but allowed him to speak, and offered to give him a copy of the documents.

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